N.American Monster #25 - Simpsonville, 8/13/13

Post by **Admin** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 4:42 am

Discussions, reviews, live-updates, meet-ups, etc!

If reporting from the show on your phone, use cut-down version of the message board at http://m.kissfaq.com/

Details:

Notes:

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:57 am

I'll be there!

ultimix · Post by **ultimix** » Mon Aug 12, 2013 8:23 am

I will be there 5th ROW!!!

Mark

spaceace11 · Post by **spaceace11** » Mon Aug 12, 2013 8:27 am

I'm going!

MONSTER Magnet · Post by **MONSTER Magnet** » Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:06 am

asamphord · Post by **asamphord** » Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:37 pm

i'll be there, 3rd row!

gshaller · Post by **gshaller** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:27 am

Have fun!

1111976 · Post by **1111976** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:20 pm

Where the hell is Simpsonville????

kissthat · Post by **kissthat** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:25 pm

1111976 wrote:Where the hell is Simpsonville????

About 10-15 miles south of Greenville, 80 -90 miles north of Columbia.
https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&g ... CDAQ-A8wAA

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:05 pm

logjam, it would seem the gates still havent opened as of 7:05pm EST

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:44 pm

based on first impressions, it doesn't look like they'll have room to deploy the spider here. it's up, but i dont see how there's room for it to lower.

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:06 pm

Leogun went on @8pm

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:51 pm

wow they ARE gonna lower the spider! I didn't see how there'd be room.

KISS Unmasked II · Post by **KISS Unmasked II** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 10:34 pm

Thanx for the updates Paxon.
Enjoy the show !

asamphord · Post by **asamphord** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 11:44 pm

here are some random observations from the Simpsonville show.

holy fucking pyro batman.

and the spider was almost bigger than the stage. kind of a small place. They were able to use it as much as they normally do though. It looked pretty badass. If that's just a lighting rig, it's a fucking badass lighting rig.

great show, same setlist as past few shows with Dr. Love in for Deuce. No encore break, no photo with the crowd, no bow, just some banter and straight into DRC after Black Diamond.

band was tight, only a couple of very minor flubs, though Tommy got a little creative with the Rock & Roll All Nite solo (or he just fucked it up real bad). Paul broke a string, can't remember which song. Do they have a backup guitar out there on the mini-stage if he breaks a string during Love Gun? I've often wondered about that...

Paul's guitar seemed louder in the mix than I would normally expect. It was good to hear.

since there is no roof attached to the amphitheater stage, they rolled a little crane in to hook the wire up to for Paul to fly on. so that was kinda odd...

during the Black Diamond intro (which Paul performed from the mini-stage), Gene was just sort of chilling on the stage and a drunk concertgoer seated behind me shouted "Gene Simmons, I want your penis!" I sure hope that shows up on my recording.

cool little outdoor venue. I have no clue what the capacity is but I'd say it was 80-85% packed.

hmmmm, looks like capacity is 10,000.... 4,000 reserved 6,000 lawn... I don't know if there were 8,000 people there, maybe it was more like 75% packed. But I could be completely wrong about that as well. I'm not much of a crowd estimator. Crowd was into it for the most part, but I was 3rd row, so obviously those people are going to be more into it, usually.... no clue what the vibe was like out on the lawn, but the crowd seemed loud from my vantage point during the participation bits. The other side of the crowd won the "KISS Army Audience Participation Test Number 2" all 3 times. Damn it! (that's what Paul called it)

from my vantage point (3rd row, extreme left Gene's side) I was able to see Paul Stanley in the wings making faces at Eric & Tommy during their solo spot. That was good stuff. Eric stifled a chuckle while making his little pre-bazooka announcement. It was pretty funny.

They forgot to turn off the lights during Gene's descent from the rafters in God Of Thunder, so Gene, thinking quick, stuck out his tongue and made the Dio sign so he'd look cool coming back down, since everyone could see him. The lighting guy finally remembered to turn them down just as he was about to land. I bet he got yelled at.

For people that enjoy collecting recordings of live KISS performances, I imagine you will be able to find this one wherever you normally find them before too long. It turned out pretty decent, I think, though you will have to contend with some witty shout-outs from the drunk female that was not far from my location.

metallian · Post by **metallian** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:03 am

asamphord wrote:here are some random observations from the Simpsonville show.

holy fucking pyro batman.

and the spider was almost bigger than the stage. kind of a small place. They were able to use it as much as they normally do though. It looked pretty badass. If that's just a lighting rig, it's a fucking badass lighting rig.

great show, same setlist as past few shows with Dr. Love in for Deuce. No encore break, no photo with the crowd, no bow, just some banter and straight into DRC after Black Diamond.

band was tight, only a couple of very minor flubs, though Tommy got a little creative with the Rock & Roll All Nite solo (or he just fucked it up real bad). Paul broke a string, can't remember which song. Do they have a backup guitar out there on the mini-stage if he breaks a string during Love Gun? I've often wondered about that...

Paul's guitar seemed louder in the mix than I would normally expect. It was good to hear.

since there is no roof attached to the amphitheater stage, they rolled a little crane in to hook the wire up to for Paul to fly on. so that was kinda odd...

during the Black Diamond intro (which Paul performed from the mini-stage), Gene was just sort of chilling on the stage and a drunk concertgoer seated behind me shouted "Gene Simmons, I want your penis!" I sure hope that shows up on my recording.

cool little outdoor venue. I have no clue what the capacity is but I'd say it was 80-85% packed.

hmmmm, looks like capacity is 10,000.... 4,000 reserved 6,000 lawn... I don't know if there were 8,000 people there, maybe it was more like 75% packed. But I could be completely wrong about that as well. I'm not much of a crowd estimator. Crowd was into it for the most part, but I was 3rd row, so obviously those people are going to be more into it, usually.... no clue what the vibe was like out on the lawn, but the crowd seemed loud from my vantage point during the participation bits. The other side of the crowd won the "KISS Army Audience Participation Test Number 2" all 3 times. Damn it! (that's what Paul called it)

from my vantage point (3rd row, extreme left Gene's side) I was able to see Paul Stanley in the wings making faces at Eric & Tommy during their solo spot. That was good stuff. Eric stifled a chuckle while making his little pre-bazooka announcement. It was pretty funny.

They forgot to turn off the lights during Gene's descent from the rafters in God Of Thunder, so Gene, thinking quick, stuck out his tongue and made the Dio sign so he'd look cool coming back down, since everyone could see him. The lighting guy finally remembered to turn them down just as he was about to land. I bet he got yelled at.

For people that enjoy collecting recordings of live KISS performances, I imagine you will be able to find this one wherever you normally find them before too long. It turned out pretty decent, I think, though you will have to contend with some witty shout-outs from the drunk female that was not far from my location.

They have been showing Gene's descent on this tour.

Vandelay Industries · Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:10 am

quick $.02 because i'm exhausted, will go into detail later.

stage: pretty cool, lots of pyro & explosions. the bazooka bit was anticlimactic, because after eric said "check this out!", the bazooka didn't make the "firing" noise, so it ended up looking like he was holding a cheap roman candle

the spider rig was pretty good....not as sploogeworthy as some are making it out to be, but it did have a lot of nice bells & whistles throughout the show.

setlist: well, other than "war machine", it was pretty predictable fare if you didn't sneak a peek beforehand. besides RARAN obviously, the crowd got jazzed the most during "lick it up"....the "won't get fooled again" part juiced up the audience & they all clapped along the rest of the song.

crowd: we strolled to the back of the venue right before RARAN, and it looked like a respectable crowd number, probably 75-80% full, maybe a little more.

venue: about half the size of the typical outdoor shed kiss would play in these parts (ala charlotte). we bought lawn tix for $20 at the last minute & walked to the front row area (of the lawn), which in charlotte would've been under the covered reserved seats, distance-wise from the stage. so even though we had lawn tix, we were pretty damn close....nice.

the "paul's voice" controversy: well, see for yourself:

i filmed that in anticipation of some pyro to start the song, not because i wanted to stir shit up....but it's pretty obvious it ain't what it used to be....yikes.

overall: i had a good time & have no regrets....but nowadays, the mingling in the crowd with fellow kiss fans is what helps make it a complete experience. kinda reminds me of the last grateful dead show i attended in '95.....the band wasn't on all cylinders, but chatting it up with fellow fans made it feel like reconnecting with friends at a high school reunion or something.....

meatloaf · Post by **meatloaf** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:18 am

asamphord · Post by **asamphord** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:20 am

metallian wrote: They have been showing Gene's descent on this tour.

ahh.. I had not noted that! (obviously!) lol

Vandelay Industries · Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:38 am

oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?

kissthat · Post by **kissthat** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:59 am

Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?

That area has grown so fast, you can't go thru town without seeeing a deer.My sister lives close by and hit a deer in her new Mercedes just 2 weeks ago. Glad you enjoyed(as much as you can

)the show.

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:12 am

I had a great time also. This was my first visit to this venue as it's usually Charlotte where I have to go, and this was actually closer so cool. Like was said above, this was a smaller shed and I really didn't think the spider had room to move... it even bulged out over the sides of the main stage area. I felt a lot closer to the stage from the lawn than in Charlotte.

Still don't know why they were over an hour late opening the gate. Funny story, as me and my buddy waited in line to get in and I saw two guys walk by asif they were looking for someone. I had youtubed Leogun beforehand and I immediately recognized one of them as the lead singer. I spoke up and the people in line just looked at me, lol.

So yeah, I thought Pauls voice was worse than when I saw them in Charlotte last year. It's sad but it is what it is. Still an enjoyable show.

The crowd in the lawn was pretty fired up. I was over on the right side near Paul's mini stage. You know, I really enjoyed "Out of this World" live.

Pretty tired but had to get up and come in to work. I feel like there are things I'm not remembering. Haha

Vandelay Industries · Post by **Vandelay Industries** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:36 am

Paxon wrote:I had a great time also. This was my first visit to this venue as it's usually Charlotte where I have to go, and this was actually closer so cool. Like was said above, this was a smaller shed and I really didn't think the spider had room to move... it even bulged out over the sides of the main stage area. I felt a lot closer to the stage from the lawn than in Charlotte.

Still don't know why they were over an hour late opening the gate. Funny story, as me and my buddy waited in line to get in and I saw two guys walk by asif they were looking for someone. I had youtubed Leogun beforehand and I immediately recognized one of them as the lead singer. I spoke up and the people in line just looked at me, lol.

So yeah, I thought Pauls voice was worse than when I saw them in Charlotte last year. It's sad but it is what it is. Still an enjoyable show.

The crowd in the lawn was pretty fired up. I was over on the right side near Paul's mini stage. You know, I really enjoyed "Out of this World" live.

Pretty tired but had to get up and come in to work. I feel like there are things I'm not remembering. Haha

yeah, the lawn was so close, i could feel the heat whenever they used any pyro onstage. i liked the venue too, but on the way in, i noticed that it looked like the parking situation could be a pain in the ass after the show. so during RARAN, my friend & i retreated to the back of the venue, so we could get an early jump out of there when the show ended. things you think about when you're not a teenager anymore

OHKISSFAN · Post by **OHKISSFAN** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 6:17 am

Cool!
Thanks for the reports guys!

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:19 am

Vandelay Industries wrote:
Paxon wrote:I had a great time also. This was my first visit to this venue as it's usually Charlotte where I have to go, and this was actually closer so cool. Like was said above, this was a smaller shed and I really didn't think the spider had room to move... it even bulged out over the sides of the main stage area. I felt a lot closer to the stage from the lawn than in Charlotte.

Still don't know why they were over an hour late opening the gate. Funny story, as me and my buddy waited in line to get in and I saw two guys walk by asif they were looking for someone. I had youtubed Leogun beforehand and I immediately recognized one of them as the lead singer. I spoke up and the people in line just looked at me, lol.

So yeah, I thought Pauls voice was worse than when I saw them in Charlotte last year. It's sad but it is what it is. Still an enjoyable show.

The crowd in the lawn was pretty fired up. I was over on the right side near Paul's mini stage. You know, I really enjoyed "Out of this World" live.

Pretty tired but had to get up and come in to work. I feel like there are things I'm not remembering. Haha
yeah, the lawn was so close, i could feel the heat whenever they used any pyro onstage. i liked the venue too, but on the way in, i noticed that it looked like the parking situation could be a pain in the ass after the show. so during RARAN, my friend & i retreated to the back of the venue, so we could get an early jump out of there when the show ended. things you think about when you're not a teenager anymore

Getting out of the parking lot went faster than I feared, thankfully.

Paxon · Post by **Paxon** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:42 am

This is really nitpicky but obviously this is what hardcore fans do....

Upon the intro, the big Kiss curtain dropped a few moments too soon so the timing of that first BOOM moment was thrown off. Probably beyond anyones control but as I'm watching vids today I keep seeing it and recall how it bugged me when it happened in my own OCD way. I also dont like Gene's "well it goes like this.." when ILIL starts, I dig the song but not that quirky little phrase. Lol, the things we pick apart here.

MrSnackwell · Post by **MrSnackwell** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:44 am

Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?

Like Gene, just there for the bucks.

King · Post by **King** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:22 pm

He should do his intro falsetto..or better yet..drop that song..that was WRETCHED!

ultimix · Post by **ultimix** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:55 pm

GREAT SHOW last night!!

Closet I have been for a KISS show so far - 5th row - CENTER - caught a Paul pick! I will post some photos I took in a few.

Some observations -

Small Venue - I still can't believe they could lower the Spider Stage etc..

Band sounded really tight - Great sound - Drums sounds really good in the mix

Love the Spider Stage - really impressive!

Paul's Voice - Not as bad as I have been reading - but still not great. NEEDS to stop all the yelling in between songs. DROP Love Gun all together as well.... Did not sound good.

Crowd was into it - at least the 1st 5 rows

Gene got pissed at someone who was texting - it made a motion like he was texting and then looked at them and said "WTF with arms wide open"

Favorite Song - I can't believe I am saying this but - Lick It Up. The extra guitar parts at the end really sound great and the Spider dropping and picking up Paul and Tommy was really cool!

They take their job seriously - all business on stage.

I hope they continue with the Monster Tour and come back in the SOUTH again.. I will be there!

Mark

Anomaly · Post by **Anomaly** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:25 pm

MrSnackwell wrote:
Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?
Like Gene, just there for the bucks.

*rimshot*

Anomaly · Post by **Anomaly** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:28 pm

Vandelay Industries wrote: the "paul's voice" controversy: well, see for yourself:

He's getting better I tell ya.

Ace's Silver Suit · Post by **Ace's Silver Suit** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 2:52 pm

What the HECK was that?

My GOD, what the HECK was that?

Again, live, during songs, they can hide Paul's squawks and squeaks in the mix ... but "ain't it funny" ("Goodbye") how phone microphones can reveal it all, plain and simple?

I feel badly for Paul, but then not so much when you realize his NOT HAVING A VOICE has become a mere minor detail in the money making plans.

spacecat · Post by **spacecat** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:40 pm

Here are a few pictures I took at the show.

Had a great time, first visit to the amphitheater-nice place

spacecat · Post by **spacecat** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:51 pm

Few more pics

KISS Unmasked II · Post by **KISS Unmasked II** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:38 pm

Thanx for sharing your posters, spacecat !

I particularly love the one of Paul and Tommy on top of the spider. Very cool stuff...

gshaller · Post by **gshaller** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:00 pm

MrSnackwell wrote:
Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?
Like Gene, just there for the bucks.

Doe!

CStomp1 · Post by **CStomp1** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:22 pm

gshaller wrote:
MrSnackwell wrote:
Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?
Like Gene, just there for the bucks.
Doe!

Gene prefers a nice rack.

gshaller · Post by **gshaller** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:41 pm

CStomp1 wrote:
gshaller wrote:
MrSnackwell wrote:
Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?
Like Gene, just there for the bucks.
Doe!
Gene prefers a nice rack.

Sometimes he just goes stag.

Anomaly · Post by **Anomaly** » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:43 pm

gshaller wrote:
CStomp1 wrote:
gshaller wrote:
MrSnackwell wrote:
Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?
Like Gene, just there for the bucks.
Doe!
Gene prefers a nice rack.
Sometimes he just goes stag.

His constant fawning of the opposite sex when he resembles a muppet helps with that.

gshaller · Post by **gshaller** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:02 am

Anomaly wrote:
gshaller wrote:
CStomp1 wrote:
gshaller wrote:
MrSnackwell wrote:
Vandelay Industries wrote:oh, and on a slightly unrelated note: the moment we approached the venue, before we even got the words "we're here" out of our mouths, a deer ran right in front of our vehicle & almost caused a wreck....what the hell was a deer doing at an ampitheatre?
Like Gene, just there for the bucks.
Doe!
Gene prefers a nice rack.
Sometimes he just goes stag.
His constant fawning of the opposite sex when he resembles a muppet helps with that.

It's all part of his big game.

ultimix · Post by **ultimix** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:51 am

Here is a shot from the 5th row.

kissthat · Post by **kissthat** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:12 am

D4JPyj_HBaI

GoddessOfThunder64 · Post by **GoddessOfThunder64** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:17 am

[quote="ultimix"]Here is a shot from the 5th row.

[img]http://www.ultimixdjs.com/hosh/DSC09102.JPG[/img][/quote]

Good one!

BlackDiamond67 · Post by **BlackDiamond67** » Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:12 pm

Great venue and great show. I really liked "the spider" and the guys played their hearts out as usual.

jmitzel · Post by **jmitzel** » Sat Aug 17, 2013 10:56 pm

Anyone else notice yet what appears to be another vintage bass being used by Gene...

Euk7scUrXD4